Happy 50th Birthday to The Pill!

I'm a little late on this, but this past May 9th marked the 50th anniversary of the FDA approval of the birth control pill. TIME did a nice little write up covering the history of the pill, from early forms of birth control (paste made from crocodile dung as a vaginal insert, anyone?), the conception of the idea of a magic little pill (thanks Margaret Sanger!), to creation of the pill, getting FDA approval, and the role the pill on women's liberation and the sexual revolution. This is a must read for women who take or have taken the pill, and really any woman that wants to know about the history of birth control and feminism, because they are so very intertwined.

For more info on birth control check out the first issue of PoolBoy Magazine (hitting the streets in August!) which includes a guide to "Rethinking your Birth Control." Stay tuned for pre-order opportunities!

Here's my favorite quote from the TIME article:

Some of the women who were on the family-planning front lines 50 years ago get a little impatient when they hear young women talking ungratefully about the freedoms they take for granted. But Steinem, for one, takes the longer view. "I don't walk around saying, 'Thank you for the vote,' " she says of a battle even longer past. "I might add, as Susan B. Anthony said, Our job is not to make young women grateful. It's to make them ungrateful so they keep going. Gratitude never radicalized anybody."

There's no time like the present to get radical.

Jiz Is My Name

haha jiz is so fucking pro-choice only dead things come out of her vagina!

Happy Women's History Month!

It's officially March, which means it's also Women's History Month. While March 8 is International Women's Day, in the US the whole of March is dedicated to celebrating the contributions American women have made in national history. In honor of Women's History Month I present to you some women to whom I am especially grateful.

Margaret Sanger


Alright, yes Sanger was involved with some fishy eugenics thought, as were many people at that point in history, but she also had a huge impact on birth control so that women could enjoy sex with less fear of pregnancy. She opened the first birth control clinic and formed the organization that would become Planned Parenthood. I propose that next time you swallow that BC pill, get your Nuvaring inserted, roll on that condom, or proceed right into sexy time without interruption thanks to your IUD, that you give a little mental thanks to Sanger. Without her sex wouldn't be nearly as safe or fun.

Juliette Gordon Low


Although Gordon Low had a privileged childhood, her marriage was not a happy one and when her husband died after 18 years of marriage he left the majority of his estate to his mistress. Talk about a dick move. Gordon Low was not a lady to be set back however, and, firmly latching onto the idea that "success is the best revenge," she set up the Girl Scouts of America after meeting the founder of the Boy Scouts. The original gathering of girls to talk about their feelings, boys, crafts, charity, pop culture, and domesticity, the Girl Scouts were, and are, about self-reliance, independence, and a willingness to help others. And not only did the Girl Scouts prepare girls for traditional domestic life, but also for a possible professional life. Many Pool Girls were undoubtedly Girl Scouts back in the day, and I, for one, credit Girl Scouts for teaching me how to build a fire, dig a latrine, and generally be a bad ass lady.

Sandra Day O'Connor


The first woman to serve on the Supreme Court, Day O'Connor's vote was often instrumental in upholding a woman's right to abortion. Curious since she was nominated to the Court by Regan and was considered a moderately conservative Republican. Still, her presence on the highest judge panel in the United States was an important first for American women and her refusal to overturn Roe v. Wade signaled that women's health is an issue that effects all women, no matter the political affiliation.

Betty Dodson


Considered the mother of the sex positive feminist movement, Dodson's book Sex for One helped liberate masturbation. She began having erotic art shows in NYC in the late 1960's but soon left the art world to concentrate on women's health and pleasure. At the NOW Sexuality Conference in 1973 Dodson introduced the electric vibrator as a pleasure device. Also famed for her masturbation workshops, Dodson has written many articles and books on masturbation and women's pleasure. When you get your copy of PoolBoy Magazine in the mail and are able to sneak away for some private time, remember what Dodson did for female masturbation and maybe dedicate your next solo O to this important lady.


Some more contemporary ladies that I am thankful for: Kathleen Hanna, bell hooks, Debbie Stoller, Joani Blank, Judy Chicago, Kate Chopin, Hillary Rodham Clinton, and the Guerrilla Girls.

Who are you celebrating for Women's History Month?

What the what?!

Apparently for some people crazy Sarah Palin just isn't crazy enough. According to Mother Jones, "For the Denver-based American Right to Life, when it comes to abortion, Palin is as impure as any godless feminist." Palin and feminist in the same sentence, for shame!

The ARTL contests that Palin has bedded down with the heathen feminists as exampled by her description of "the morning after pill as contraception rather than an abortifacient," and by "Palin’s statement to the Anchorage Daily News that she opposes the "use of public funds for elective abortions." This means, according to ARTL, that Palin supports taxpayer funding for non-elective abortions." "

So wait...they're saying we should call Palin anti-choice because of that stuff instead of her stats on reproductive rights? These stats are hard to overlook: Palin's "hometown required women to pay for their own rape examinations while she was mayor, a practice her police chief fought to keep as late as 2000" or "Alaska has the worst record of any state in rape. The rape rate in Alaska is 2.5 times the national average." Kinda makes you wonder what Palin's doing for women if she's not protecting them from violence. Oh yeah, she's probably fighting for the rights of their possible unborn fetuses instead. Unless the you might die during child birth. Then abortion is okay. But not if you're raped. Then the kid is still tops. So you better hope you have a chance of dying if you want to toss that bun.

ARL also doesn't like Palin for teaming up with that ole' knight of women's health, John McCain, "whom the National Right to Life Committee dubbed a "significant threat to future advances by the pro-life movement" back in 2000. (It endorsed him in 2008.)" But McCain went and got crazy enough to satisfy the National Right to Life! Is he still not enough of a cowboy for ARL's high standards? Damn, thems some harsh parents.

Beware the ARTL though, in their fanatical self-grandising they believe they have some clout. Did you know it was not Mormonism nor tying the family dog to the top of the car on vacation (see Romeny's Cruel Canine Vacation),that did Mitt Romney in last year, as well all thought? No no, it was actually the ARTL making some crazy commercials that aired in South Carolina and Iowa outing Romney as a fake anti-choicer. Of course, the ARTL spokesman points out that while they "can't say don't vote for Mitt Romney, but you can say Romney is the son of the devil and if you vote for him you'll go to hell." Nothin' like scarin' some hicks into believing you! (heart you iowa)

What's more frightening than how radical these people have to be to consider Sarah Palin pro-choice, is that people like that actually exist. I have to admit though, I'm sort of glad there are some people from the dark side protesting crazy pants Palin. Maybe if both sides hate her she'll go rouge back in Alaska and fade from the national consciousness.

What?! Safe abortion leads to decline in abortions?

Get your head out of your ass. Yes, according to NPR, liberal abortion laws lead to a decline in abortions.

Is it because with relaxed abortion restrictions contraception is more often available? Or perhaps because when you let women control their reproductive health they opt for abortions less often because really, no one wants to have an abortion. I feel like the anti-choice side likes to make it seem like people that defend abortion are all rushing to the nearest clinic to get them one a those handy dandy abortions. The reality is that everyone wants less abortions. It's just been proven that:

"legal abortion does not cause abortion," Sue Cohen, director of government affairs at Guttmacher tells us. "And illegal abortion does not make abortion go away."

Legal abortion means women are given correct information and access to contraception so that they are able to decide when and how to get pregnant, or not. So yay for less abortions and yay for reproductive rights!

Women and Healthcare Reform

Everyone is talking about Obama's proposed Healthcare reform these days but honestly, when it comes down to it I'm not exactly sure what healthcare reform would actually look like or how it would affect me. I don't think I'm alone either if the radio, blogs, and talking to everyone I know is any indication.

Luckily, Feministing linked to this article over at The Nation that spells out Why Women Need Healthcare Reform.

While I don't plan on getting pregnant any time soon (which is mostly what the article focuses on), I wonder what the deal with contraception, gyno biznass, and abortion would be under the reform.